The Washington Redskins shook up the NFL a week before the Super Bowl with the proposed agreed trade for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith.

In acquiring the former top pick from the 2005 NFL Draft and Pro Bowl QB in KC, the Redskins have all but washed their hands on Pro Bowl signal-caller Kirk Cousins.

Cousins and the Redskins have been unable to secure a long-term deal with each other over the past two offseasons. Now that the move to bring in Smith has been made, there is the talk of the Redskins still trying to figure out a way to sign Cousins and trade him in order to receive high-end value in return.

It’s no secret that Cousins will be a highly sought-after free agent with as many as eight teams vying for his services. Clearly, the Redskins know this and feel that maybe it’s worth a shot to sign the former Michigan State star and find a suitor to trade for him. That way of thinking if highly risky for Washington because any such move would count against the team’s salary cap. It’s also highly risky because it could limit the team’s money that is needed to pursue other free agents. In one sense the team could recoup higher end draft picks but without cap space to sign those players or free agents the move may not seem viable. The team also has to keep into consideration that other teams’ know that Cousins days in Washington are numbered and would rather sign him on the open market. This now becomes a game of cat and mouse between the Redskins front office and interested teams’ front...